Apparatus for automatically centering and aligning moving objects



March 16, 1954 E. T. LORIG ET AL 2,672,337 APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CENTERING AND ALIGNING MOVING OBJECTS Filed April 4, 1952 FIGS. 54

Patented Mar. 16, 1954 APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CEN- TERING AND ALIGNING MOVING OB- JECTS Edwin T. Lorig and Howard S. Orr, Pittsburgh,

Pa., assignors to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Application April 4, 1952, Serial N 0. 280,691

This invention relates to an apparatus for automatically centering and aligning a moving object and more particularly for centering and aligning sheets of thin material such as paper which is to be folded and/or made into envelopes. In feeding sheets of paper to the folding or envelope making machine it is necessary that the sheets be fed rapidly and be delivered with their edges in a uniform plane. This has proved to be very difficult with the apparatus now beingused since the apparatus is complicated and often gets out of adjustment. While our proposed apparatus is particularly adapted for this purpose it can also be used for feeding other materials to processing equipment or to a piler wherever it is necessary that the successive articles be arranged with their longitudinal center line or side edge in a given plane.

It is therefore an object of our invention to provide a simple apparatus which can automatically center and align a moving object and which will require little or no adjustment.

This and other objects will be more apparent after referring to the following specification and attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top view taken in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3;

Figure 2 is an elevation, partly in section, of the apparatus of Figure 1 and Figure 3 is a side view of the apparatus of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the reference numeral 2 indicates a pair of conventional driven feed rolls for feeding sheets S to the apparatus of our invention. If desired a guide 3 may be provided between the feed rolls 2 and an automatic centering roll 4 for support:- ing the underside of the sheet S. The roll 4 may be of the type disclosed in the copending applications of Lorig, Serial No. 97,218, filed June 4, 1949, now Patent No. 2,593,157, dated April 15, 1952; Serial No. 138,389, filed January 13, 1950, now Patent No. 2,592,581, dated April 15, 1952; Serial No. 145,648, filed February 23, 1950, now Patent No. 2,593,158, dated April 15, 1952. The roll shown is of the type disclosed in the last named copending application. The roll 4 consists of a pair of opposed frusto-conical rollers 6 and 8 arranged with their large diameter ends adjacent each other. The adjacent ends of the rollers 6 and 8 are provided with a mitred or step joint 10 for holding the two rollers in alignment. The outer ends of the rollers 6- and 8 are securely fastened to a shaft 12 for rotation therewith. The shaft I2 passes through the rollers 6 Claims. (01. 27152) v 6 and 8 and has a diameter less than their inside til diameter. The shaft [2 is mounted in spaced apart bearings l4 and has an extension I 6 at one end which is connected to be driven from a power source 18. The rims of rollers or roll sections 6 and 8 are allowed to deflect as shown in Lorig Patent No. 2,593,158 so that forces exerted on the object being moved have a component from the object engaging surface of each roller directed along the axis of each roller toward the adjacent ends of the rollers. A pair of frusto-conical discs 29 and 22 are spaced apart along the length of the roll 4 with their large diameter ends adjacent each other and spaced from the roll 4 in order to provide a pass for receiving the sheet S. The discs 29 and 22 are mounted on shafts 24 and 26 respectively. Shafts 24 and 26 are mounted in bearings 28 and 35 respectively. As best shown in Figure 1 the axes of the shafts and discs intersect at a point between the discs and diverge away from the direction of approach of the sheet S. The points of tangency of the discs 20 and 22 with the roll 4 are in a plane substantially through the axis of shaft 12 and the point of intersection of the axes of the shafts 24 and 26. The shafts 24 and 26 preferably are stationary with the discs 20 and 22 being mounted in bearings on the shafts 24 and 26, respectively. The discs are caused to rotate at the same angular velocity by means of the gear teeth 3| and 32 mounted on the discs 20 and 22, respectively. The discs 20 and 22 are held in adjusted axial position on their respective shafts by means of set and thrust collars 34 and 36 which are secured to the shafts 24 and 26 respectively. If desired the shafts 24 and 26 can be driven with the discs 20 and 22 rotating therewith. In such case the peripheral speed of the discs 25 and 22 must be the same as the peripheral speed of the r0114. A pair of edge guides 38 ar provided one adjacent each end of the roll 4 and preferably extend as close to the roll 4 as possible as shown in Figure 3. Each of the guides 38 is provided with adjusting mechanism 45 for moving the guides laterally. A hopper 42 is provided at the delivery end of the roll 4. The discs 29 and 22 are relatively narrow and spaced a short distance apart and must be located between the guides 38. The exact spacing of the discs 29 and 22 will depend upon the width of the article passing through the rolls, the thickness of the article and its speed of travel. For example, in handling sheets of thin paper about 8" in width, the center to center distance between the discs 20 and 22 is preferably about 1" but it may be somewhat greater or less.

While this distance may also be used when handling thicker sheets it is possible to make the distance greater for the thicker sheets. If the sheet S being fed to the roll 4 has its longitudinal axis almost perpendicular to the axis of the roll 4, the guides 38 may be dispensed with. However, if the longitudinal axis is out of alignment at least one of the guides 38 must be used. In most instances it will be desirable to use both guides 38. The minimum distance between the bite of the feed rolls 2 and the bite of the centering rolls must be only slightly less than the len th of a sheet S passing therethrough so that the sheet will be released from the grip of the feed rolls either before or only slightly after his gripped by the centering rolls.

The operation of the device is as-follows: The distance between the guides 38 is first adjusted to a distance slightly greater than the width of the sheet S being fed to the device. As the sheet S is' fed'itwill strike at least one of the guides 38 and be directed into the pass line. The roll 4, discs 20 and 22, and guides 38 will then cooperate to center the sheet S and deliver it from the roll 4 and discs 20 and 22 with its central longitudinal axis in a plane substantially normal to the axis of the shaft l2.

While one embodiment of our invention has been shown and described it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departingfrom the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for automatically centering and aligning a moving object comprising a transversely split automatic centering roll, said automaticcentering roll including a pair of axially opposed substantially identical roll sections, the diameter of the adjacent ends of each section being at least as-large as the diameter of the rest o-fthe section, means for causing each section to rotate at-the same angular velocity, the peripheries of said sections being so arranged with respect toeach other-that forcesexerted on the objectbeing object engaging surface "of each'section directed along the axis'of each section toward the-adiac'ent ends of the sections, a pair of discs spaced apart along the length of said'rolland spaced therefrom to form a pass for receiving said object,

the axes of said discs intersecting at a point between the discs and diverging away fro'mthe direction of approach of'the moving object, and means for positively causing said discs torotate at the-same angular velocity.

moved have a component from the eluding a pair of opposed frusto-conical rollers arranged with their large diameter ends adjacent each other, the axes of said rollers under load diverging away from the direction of approach of the moving object and means for positively causing said rollers to rotate at the same angular velocity, the peripheries of said rollers being so arranged with respect to each other that forces exerted on the object being moved have a component from the object engaging surface of each roller directed along the axis of each roller toward the adjacent ends of the rollers, a pair of discs spaced apart along the length of said roll and spaced therefrom to form a pass for receiving said object, the axes of said discs intersecting at a point between the discs and diverging away from the direction of approach of the moving object, and means for positively causing said discs to rotate at the same angular velocity.

4. Apparatus for automatically centering and aligning a moving object according to claim 3 in which at least one guide ismounted adjacent one end'of said roll on the approach side thereof.

5. Apparatus for automatically centering and aligning a moving object comprising an automatic centering roll, said automatic centering roll in-- clud ng a pair of opposed frusto-conical rollers arranged with their large diameter ends adjacent each other, the axes of said rollers under load diverging away from the direction of approachof the moving object and means for positively causing said rollers to rotate at the sameangular velocity, the peripheries of said rollers being so arranged with respect to each other thatforces exerted' on the object being moved have a component from the object engaging surface of each roller directed'along the axis of each roller toward the adjacent ends of the rollers, a pair of frustoconical discs spaced apart along the length of said roll with their large diameter ends adjacent each other, said discs being spaced from saidroll' to form a pass for receivingsaid' object, the axes of said discs intersecting at a point between the discs and diverging away from the direction-of approach of the moving object, and means for positively causing said discsto' rotate at the same angular velocity.

6.- Apparatus for"'automatisally centering' and aligning a moving object accordingto claim Sin whichat least one guide is mounted adjacent one end of said roll on the approach side thereof. I

EDWIN T. LORIG. HOWARD S. ORR.

References Cited in the file of'thisapate'nt UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 534,148 Fries Feb/12, 1895 2,190,417 Davidson Feb. 13; 1940 2,461,376 Feldmeier Feb. 9, 1949 2,622,875 Lonig 'Dec. 23, 1952 

